Been thinking about this lately since most users are on mobile anyway.
Does having a web purchase option actually move the needle on conversions or is it just extra dev work that doesn’t pay off?
Skip app stores entirely. Direct web sales just work better.
Traffic quality is key. Some users leave at the app store redirect.
The biggest win I’ve seen is bypassing iOS review delays. Had a subscription app where we needed to test pricing fast - web purchases let us A/B test without waiting weeks for Apple approval.
Also gives you way more payment options. Some users just won’t put their card in the app store but they’ll buy through Stripe or PayPal on web. Saw about 8% more conversions when we added web checkout to a meditation app.
The payment ecosystem stuff gets complex though. Worth understanding how all the pieces fit together:
One downside - you lose some of the seamless app store purchase experience. But if your margins are tight, that 30% cut hurts more than a slightly clunkier flow.
Adding a web purchase button reduces payment friction and gets users who won’t download your app just to buy. App stores take 30% of revenue while web payments only take around 3%. This difference can make it worth the development effort if you have decent traffic. Plus, you get direct access to the user’s email and payment info, which is better for retention and future marketing.
Web purchases usually convert better than app store flows because there are fewer steps and no download friction.
I’ve seen decent lifts when people can buy immediately instead of going through app store, downloading, then opening to purchase. The extra dev work pays off if your audience actually buys on mobile web.